Movie Reviews

There's a rumor that a girl is haunting a school in South Ko

Jenny J.J.I. | That Lives in Carolinas | 03/17/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I would see how a person would note this film highly while others just see this as a bore. The first time I watched this I feel asleep on it due the time I watch it (my fault it was pass 1:00am). The second round I gave it my all divine attention and thought it was good. The 'Corridors' films are said to examine the trials and tribulations of school life with a supernatural bent. This entry begins with a teacher of a private all-girls school who reveals some mysterious secret that obviously has her nerves on edge. This discovery ultimately leads to her equally weird death: a noose around the neck, her body left hanging from a catwalk in the school courtyard for students to find. A noticeable suicide to some but we full well know it wasn't. From here the horrors of death swiftly turn about-face to the dread of teenage cliques and tyrannical teachers as we meet the artistically-inclined Lim Ji-oh and the restrained, social outcast Youn Jae-yi - two students who develop an unexpected bond that strengthens as more school faculty fall prey to a malevolent ghost. Said specter is lashing out for reasons of revenge and loneliness; left to piece these motivations together is a new teacher absorbed in her own painful memories that may yield some clues as to the origin of the school's supernatural presence.

As far I can see director Park Ki-Hyung film moves at an unhurried pace that if you're not prepared for may knock you out faster than a bottle of Jack chased with some sleeping pills. That's my nice way of saying Corridors is more drama than straight-laced horror. It peers into the classroom door window of teenage relationships and doesn't flinch from some bitter realities. The girls here get catty, sometimes outright vicious, to their school chums. And if they ever do find a desire to unify with each other it's a clandestine bond against their teachers who are a violent lot not afraid to give a backhanded slap to put a student in place. There are a lot of touching moments of genuine melancholy which Park not only reflects in his characters but in the lens of the ever-roaming camera taking us down desolate hallways and sparse classrooms. But this emptiness gives way to nasty outbursts of violence with bleeding walls, ceilings and heads that provide welcome releases after such long bouts of mounting dramatic conflict.

All of Corridors' roles are adequately cast with actresses who do a fine job replicating the several of over-bloated egos and vulnerable, simmering emotions existing in every school. And that's where Corridors predominantly takes us, through that hellish mental challenge called high school where many would not dare tread again. But in that fashion Joss Whedon tapped so successfully in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the paranormal is used here to uproot those underlying themes of social elimination, want of acceptance and even beauty. "Whispering Corridors" just takes some time getting its point across, but when it does, it's pretty potent stuff."

Jin-Ju never left

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 08/20/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"School can be hell. So it's a perfect spot for horror movies that focus on the symbolic supernatural problems of teenagers.

In the case of the superb "Whispering Corridors", the setting is a Korean girls' school. While the finale is a bit drippy (literally), director Park Ki-Yong never resorts to gore or cheap scares -- just a lot of creepy visuals, shocking attacks, and a double twist ending that you won't see coming.

As the movie opens, tyrannical Mrs. Park (Jin-hie Park) is making a call to the youngest (and pleasantest) teacher, Eun-Young (Mi-yeon Lee) -- about Eun-Young's best friend Jin-Ju, who died nine years ago. Then she's yanked up by an invisible force, and is found hanged by students the next morning. Eun-Young is left to ponder Park's final words: "She never left."

Soon gruesome events become more commonplace -- student Ji-oh (Gyu-ri Kim) notices a strange bloodstain over her desk, photos are altered, and the student-molesting Mad Dog is savagely murdered. Eun-Young starts sifting through clues -- and the abandoned art shed where Jin-Ju died -- to figure out where the ghost will strike next. But Jin-Ju is far closer than anyone has suspected...

"Whispering Corridors" isn't really a horror movie as much as a ghost movie -- it prefers to creep you out, rather than freak you out. In fact, most of the horror comes from how the students are treated by the callous teachers, to the point where it's hard to get TOO upset when Jin-Ju kills the people who tormented her in life.

That seems to have been Park Ki-Yong's intention, but she doesn't neglect the ghost angle. There are plenty of creepy moments here -- creaky floors, quiet corridors, a man being murdered by a curtain, or a painting of a bloody dead woman. What's more, Park can disturb us on a deeper level, such as the frenzied flashbacks to poor Jin-Ju being bullied to death.

For all the quiet scariness, there are moments of rapid, brutal violence as well (Mad Dog being strangled and bashed into a window). The only weak spot: the final confrontation with Jin-Ju seems weirdly soppy.

This is very much a character-driven movie, and the actors do wonderful jobs: Mi-yeon Lee as the bright-eyed Eun-Young, who is haunted by guilt over her best friend's unhappy life and tragic death, and Gyu-ri Kim as a current student who resembles Eun-Young during her younger days. The girl who plays Ji-oh's shy pal does an excellent job as well.

"Whispering Corridors" is a rare type of ghost story -- slow, eerie, and prefers to haunt you instead of freaking you out. Definitely a must-see."

GREAT MOVIE - NOT FOR THE SHALLOW

K. Vicalvi | Nashville, TN USA | 12/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"WHISPERING CORRIDORS is the kind of movie that you will want to watch at least three times - partly because the story is so layered that it takes a while to let it sink in. As a western viewer, I found it a little challenging to tell one girl from the other - not that all Asians look alike, but the adolescent girls all in uniform start to blend together. Maybe this was part of the director's intention, because the film deals with the crushing societal pressure to conform. I watched this late at night and dozed off at least twice; this was not because the movie was boring. It is not the kind of film that jolts you. It's a ghost story that works on a slow burn, which is part of the reason I like it so much. The ending especially impressed me - the past is always living in the present, the old ghosts never go away and there are always plenty of new ones to join them. A conductor once introduced a classical piece by saying, "This is music for virtuoso listeners". This film requires virtuoso watchers. Don't be afraid. Dive in. But realize that you're diving into the deep end of the pool."